


Once I Was A Lot Like You

by RobinPlaysTrumpet15



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Anxiety, Depression, Emotional Numbness, Gen, Professor Remus Lupin, Remus looks out for his students
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-12
Updated: 2016-11-12
Packaged: 2018-08-30 15:55:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8539168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinPlaysTrumpet15/pseuds/RobinPlaysTrumpet15
Summary: Remus Lupin looks out for his students, because he knows what some of them go through. Ariel needs help, but with what, he isn't quite sure.
WARNING: POSSIBLE TRIGGERS





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I hope you like this. Be warned, there may be triggers in here. Please read responsibly.

At 13 years old, Ariel Jean had problems most kids his age didn’t think about.

 

In all honestly, if you were to ask Ariel exactly what it was that bothered him, what it was that kept him up at night and distracted him during class or tuned his emotions out at random, he wouldn’t even be able to tell you. Some nights he didn’t sleep. He laid awake in his bed, staring up at the canopy of his bed, not thinking about anything. He wasn’t tired, sleep was just a thing that would pass the time quicker. During the day, similar things would happen where he would stare at the wall or straight out the window, feeling and thinking nothing.

 

For a third year at Hogwarts, that was not a good pass time.

 

Ariel loved his classes. He did, honestly. His favorite was charms, which he was particularly good at. Or, at least he was, before this started getting out of hand. Transfiguration was fun, too, despite all the homework, and Professor Lupin in Defense Against the Dark Arts was the best teacher he’d ever had.

 

As he climbed higher up the astronomy tower, he supposed he could have gone to one of them, one of his professors. He could have asked for a private meeting with one of them, tried to explain what he’d been unable to make sense of himself. He could have even pulled one of his sisters aside, talked to Caroline or Lauraine.

 

He didn’t want to cry. It wasn’t like that. He just felt...empty, he supposed. Like his emotions had just taken a break and forgotten to come back. Ariel didn’t do anything but sit around and do homework, eat meals and sleep. He didn’t participate in the conversations around him. He didn’t take part in the worry over Sirius Black. So far, Ariel hadn’t even shown up to root for Harry at any of the quidditch matches.

 

Ariel was done. He wanted to feel something...anything, really. That was why there were marks all up and down his arms. Not cuts, no. They were scratches and unintentional bruises that he couldn’t bring himself to regret. But that hadn’t worked. It hadn’t brought any feeling back. Sure, the actual marks hurt and they didn’t like to be pushed on and Ariel did what he could to protect them, but they hadn’t stirred anything in Ariel’s chest. The world remained stained in muted, bland color.

 

When Ariel tried the door at the top of the tower, he was a little shocked to find it unlocked. Outside, the night was cool but not unpleasant. Sitting on the edge of half wall was Professor Lupin. His mousy brown hair mussed lightly in the wind as he stared up at the moonless, starry sky.

 

“Good evening, Mr. Jean.” the man said without looking at the red head.

 

“Good evening, professor.” Ariel replied automatically. His voice came out sounding weird, even to himself. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d used it for anything other than reciting facts in class or a quiet study session.

 

“You should be in bed.” Professor Lupin finally looked away from the stars, focussing his gaze on the 13 year old. He wasn’t stern or even threatening detention. Ariel bristled despite himself, knowing better than to fight a teacher.

 

“So what? Shouldn’t you be too?” A fist clenched at his side, nails biting into a scabbed palm.

 

Lupin shook his head. He stood up slowly, taking no more than one small step closer to the red headed young teen. “Not when one of my students needs something…”

 

Ariel paused, unsure what to say to that. He didn’t need anything from his D.A.D.A. teacher, did he? Had his grades started slipping? What if they had and he had no idea? Did his parents know? Or worse, his sisters?

 

“Once, I was a lot like you, Ariel.” Lupin said, advancing closer, but still unthreatening. His demeanor and posture was purely inviting. Ariel stood his ground, refusing to back away. He stared out at the night. “Walk with me, would you?”

 

Professor Lupin stepped out of the door, standing on the landing side, hand resting on the rail. He didn’t look at Ariel expectantly. He stayed turned around, an open invitation. If he didn’t want to, the teen did not have to take the man up on his offer. He could refuse. He could stay up on the tower. He could look down at the courtyard below, and wonder if the fall would wake anything inside him. He could wonder if he would regret a jump a split second too late.

 

Or...he could turn around. He could walk away from this and the open chances of regret and pain.

 

Slowly, Ariel turned, following his teacher back down the steps. He closed the door behind him, joining Lupin in the slow trek down the tower.

 

“So, tell me why we’re taking a walk up to the astronomy tower this late at night.” Lupin said good naturedly.

 

“Professor, I just don’t know.”

 

“Then let’s figure this out together.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. If you would like to see more of Ariel or his briefly mentioned family, please let me know either in the comments or come find me on Tumblr and feel free to ask any questions. You can find me here
> 
> Feedback is always welcome, thank you!


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